Beneath the masks
by Pixtotts
Summary: What if the blood wards protecting Harry were really a smoke screen? Then what if they were to fail? Where is Harry supposed to be? Could Severus Snape really be his next of kin? - Abusive Dursleys, Drarry,
1. Birthdays

**This is my first time writing instead of reading, so please be nice! But I do of course welcome all criticism :)**

**You know the drill I own nothing... **

He slid the watch in the thin slither of light that escaped the door.

Just 2 minutes to go.

He put the watch down with the care it needed, the strap and glass had broken years before prompting his cousin to discard it. The risk of hiding it away had been well worth it, it had quickly become one of his prized possessions. With no windows to the outside world the broken and battered watch was his only guide as to what time it was, sometimes even what day.

1 minute to go.

He could still hear the quiet murmurings of the television in the front room, either his uncle had fallen asleep watching it, or his cousin had snuck down to watch TV shows no 11 year old should be watching.

The watch hands finally clicked over to midnight and he braced himself in the dark.

Nothing happened. There was no flash of light, no sound, no shaking of the house, and the tingling barely reached his ankles before subsiding. He reached his hand out into the slither of light next to the watch, not even a sparkle.

_Well this is new…._

Harry had learnt while still very young that what usually happened on his birthday wasn't exactly 'normal' but it had always happened for him. Every year on his birthday, there would be a, a flash of pure white light, the house would shake, his skin would tingle and most annoying of all he would sparkle like someone had carved him from diamonds for the entire day. It was awful! The house shaking and the flash of light would wake up the rest of the house causing them to shout and screech at him, like he had done it! And the sparkle would mean he couldn't go to school, or even do some of the chores, he would spend the entire day shut in his cupboard making sure no one could accidentally see him.

Harry turned his hands in the light a few more times just to check - not even a shimmer. Double checked the well, yep definitely his birthday. Oh well he figured he might as well try and get some sleep and dared to dream that it might just be a normal day.

"Happy Birthday" the young boy whispered to himself as he put his watch away and made to lie down until day break.


	2. Midnight

**Authors note - **only chapter 2 and I've already had a rewrite . It was too rushy and too fluffy. That does mean I have the next chapter already half written so it won't be long ;)

**Chapter 2 - Midnight**

Harry wasn't the only person awake that night, across the country several very strange happenings were occurring…

The records department at the Ministry of Magic had never been so awake. Stan had worked in the department for over 50 years, even before he had semi-retired and moved to the nightshift he'd never seen so much activity. The nightshift was quiet, a few births or deaths might come in, but most anything else always happened in daylight hours. So at night Stan worked alone, he'd get his crossword done, catch up on the days news. But not tonight. Tonight at midnight the alarms started blaring. The precious papers were flying here there and everywhere knocking each other as they zoomed across the room. Even when the wizarding war was at it worst there was never this much data flying about.

Stan was ducking and dodging his way to the urgent box when a flashing red light had him stopping in his tracks. To tell the truth he thought the light was just a rumour, no one had ever actually seen it happen, no one thought it was possible - a miss filing. Stan grabbed one of the offending papers and with a glance at it did the only thing he could – he sent his patronus for reinforcements, this was most definitely above his pay grade.

"Merlin, please don't let this be a false alarm" Stan muttered to himself as he waited for his higher ups.

….

That same night at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry two professors were separately woken abruptly….

The headmaster professor Albus Dumbledore was raised by monitoring spells he had placed on a house some 10 years prior. Monitoring spells which shouldn't be activated for several years yet. Dumbledore sighed as he cast a quick tempus – midnight - today was going to be a very long day.

…

The most surprising happening that night was the waking of the potions professor, Severus Snape.  
Severus was woken by a blinding white light, and waves of pain racking his body. Severus was by no means a stranger to pain, one didn't get to be in Voldemorts inner circle without becoming acutely aware of all types of pain at every level of severity. Though never had he felt a pain like this. It was hot and yet cold, a stabbing pain and yet a wave that struck him in the chest to then spread throughout his body, each stronger than those that came before it. Snape knew in the next lull he had to make his body move, he needed a pain potion, and answers!

As the pain subsided Severus pulled himself from his bed, reached for his robe and wand, and stumbled across the room towards the door cursing himself for growing careless in the years since Voldemorts fall. Never did he think he would be caught without at least a pain potion on his person. He braced himself against the door frame as the next wave of pain slammed into his body.  
As the pain started to ease, Severus urged his feet forward, not daring to open his eyes. He knew his quarters like the back of his hand, keeping his left hand on the wall for guidance he made his way blindly down the hall way. Past the coat hooks, and left into the bathroom, second draw on the left third bottle in was the strongest pain potion he had to hand. He gulped it down eagerly, he knew it wouldn't be enough to rid him of the pain but in just a few seconds it started to take the edge off enough for him to open his eyes and think.

As his head cleared Severus vividly remembered the dream he woke from, a dream he had not had in a number of years and should not have been able to have through the dreamless sleep potion he took every night. He dreamed of his childhood friend, her soft auburn hair, the sweet smell of her shampoo, he dreamt of the worst night of his life, the night the only person he had ever loved had died. He remembered the weight of her body as he cradled her to him, he remembered how it felt as his heart broke. With that thought the pain seemed to change, it was like her memory was morphing it reforming it, it felt like his heart was being ripped out and his magic torn from his core. This was no spell or potion, it was so much more than that.

Severus moved to his fireplace, he was not a weak man, nor was he a man that asked for help, but this he needed help with, he stepped into the floo calling out the location of his oldest friend, and the only living person he could truly trust.

"Malfoy Manor"


End file.
